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Marketing Strategy of Uber | Understanding the new way of Millenial Marketing

The marketing strategy of uber

There may be many definitions available on the internet explaining as to explaining what does marketing strategy means. In layman terms, it is nothing more than a game plan for reaching out to people and turning them into customers of the product or service that the business provides.

Marketing strategy stems out of the value proposition of the company and covers the big picture of what the business offers: the value proposition and related brand messaging.
Sometimes people confuse between Marketing strategy and Marketing Plan: Below is a simple explanation about the difference between the two.

Marketing Strategy: A Marketing strategy is an overarching proposition or a brand message that a brand wants to convey to its customer and want this fact to be imbibed in them.

Marketing Plan: A Marketing plan is at a more granular form route as to how the business will get across the key message: the platforms, the creative, the timing and so on.

Now since we have understood the difference between the Marketing Strategy and Marketing Plan, let’s see what is/was the Marketing strategy of Uber and how it went about achieving it.

Which means, if you get your product right, it will sell itself. Have you ever seen companies like Facebook, Twitter, Airbnb, Instagram, and others user mass media and traditional marketing channels for promotion?

They never needed to!

All of them essentially followed a practice, now popularly called” Growth Hacking” which means acquiring more and more engaged users without using traditional marketing techniques.

In the start, Uber’s marketing strategy has not been to use the traditional mass marketing methods like TV, Print & OOH, but to use out-of-the-box promotional activities to educate and engage with the customers.

Uber team focused on putting a good product in front of their customers, for them to try it once and then come back again

Uber had a very thought out flow to their marketing approach

Launch -> Build Up -> Amplification -> Sustenance -> Growth

This strategy was followed by dedicated marketing activities which were aimed at achieving the above set goals.

PHASE 1: LAUNCH

Influencer MarketinG & Freerides

#Riderzero is one campaign that Uber uses at the time of the launch of their services in any new city or country. They roped in key influencers from every city to try out Uber’s service for the first time “secretly”.

In India, they had partnered with cricketers and actors likes Zaheer Khan, Ranvijay, Neha Dhupia etc.

The same strategy was followed when they launched their services in Bangladesh, Pakistan.

The idea was to create a social buzz and reach out to millions of followers.

FREE RIDES: Nothing works better than offering a discount on the service they need, and that is exactly what Uber did. Uber offered discounts to its customers on the first few rides. The aim of this exercise was simple, to let the customers have a taste of their service.

PHASE 2: BUILD UP

Referral Marketing

Ever wondered “How does a brand go viral?”. Its surely not by promoting it through traditional marketing channels.

Uber thought of the same thing and instead of spending crores of marketing money on pushing traditional campaigns, Uber decided to spend the money on giving the consumers a first-hand experience of the service to try out their product.

It went heavy on referrals, the whole idea was to create a domino effect, where a customer asks his family members or friends to use the app and they follow the same pattern.

Every referral you made, Uber gave credits on each referred ride to both referrer and the referee.

PHASE 3: AMPLIFICATION

Heavy Discounts, Festival Marketing & Product Development

After making customers know what Uber is all about, it was time to blast all engines and amplify their launch by launching new services/cars, increasing their partner network and expanding to other new cities.

Uber had something for everybody, from hatchbacks to a sedan to autorickshaw and finally to a motorbike, Uber launched services for every walk of life at different price points that suited their pockets.

They decided to become ‘available’ for consumers when most needed which meant,

Uber delivered kites on Makar Sakranti, colors on Holi and cupcakes on Rakhi.

Uber even offered discounted rides to your IPL matches and other key events.

Uber also offered to give mums a Mother’s day makeover or lovers a ride in an Uber Chopper on Valentines Day.

PHASE 4: SUSTENANCE

Strategic partnerships

After all, the right hooks and levers were pulled and things were moving north, you need to keep doing a little something to stay there.

It was time to be there in front of the customers’ eyes all the time, and the best way to do was through partnerships. The partnership needed to complement both the partners and this is what Uber was looking for.

Have a look at some of the really cool strategic partnerships that Uber cracked which helped its course

Tie up with Zomato

The option of booking an Uber from the Zomato app to reach one’s favorite restaurant. Contextual and brilliant integration.

PHASE 5: GROWTH

After all the efforts gone in establishing and sustaining the brand, the time was to grow the brand. And for growth, one needs to make sure to do things that keep the brand on top of the customers’ mind.

MARKETING CAMPAIGNS:

What’s the value of a campaign if it does not connect with the audience! This is one thing Uber’s marketing team must have discussed before launching their own campaigns.

Be it the SEE YOU SOON campaign or APNI HI GADI campaign, Uber tried to position itself as an inclusive and progressive brand and succeeded in it as well.

Uber is being local:

The last leg of the marketing strategy of Uber was to go local. Uber tried to capture the pulse of every city they are launching their service in and then curating the content which suited the consumers of that city or country.